The Return of the King

Eight years ago, a young LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA Finals, where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

James left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in 2010, and the Heat went on to four straight appearances in the Finals and two championships.

Now James is headed back for a fifth straight time, but again with the Cavaliers.

“I believe in unfinished business,” he said Tuesday night after the Cavs erased the Atlanta Hawks 118-88 and swept them from the Eastern Conference finals in four games.

Cleveland has waited longer than any city with at least three major sports franchises to win a championship. The Browns won the NFL title in 1964, before there was even a Super Bowl, and then the drought began. That’s 50 years, if you’re keeping score at home.

The Hawks were almost not even at Game 4, much less in it. They led for the first 20 seconds and never again, trailed by 20 in the third quarter and had starters on the bench for the fourth quarter. James scored 23 points in the only blowout game of this series.

The Cavs’ likely opponent in the Finals will be the Golden State Warriors. They hold a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals over the Houston Rockets, with Game 5 on Wednesday night in Oakland.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .